New Boy Wonder designer gives bike a dragster profile

By David Booth, National Post

Originally published: March 14, 2013

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ben McGinley must be the envy of all his peers. Barely out of short pants, the 24-year-old graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design is one of Harley-Davidson’s new designers. And, despite his tender years, Harley isn’t restricting his stylistic talents to merely designing luggage racks and signature jeans. No siree, Bob! Indeed, all we old fogeys — you know, we who make up the heart of motorcycling and Harley’s clientele — better get used to the youngster’s influence, as he is already being credited as the design force behind the new Breakout (and its Custom Vehicle Operations equivalent, the CVO Breakout), Milwaukee’s big launch for 2013.

Mr. McGinley comes by his biking bona fides honestly. Now a tenured employee of The Motor Company, he could easily be riding any of the new Big Twins of his choosing. Instead, he prowls Milwaukee on a thoroughly chopped and retro-modded 1992 Sportster (all mods performed by the barely shaving one himself, of course), with occasional forays out on his high-piped 1972 Honda CL350 Scrambler (OK, before all you die-hard Hog fans accuse the Boy Wonder of traitorous mutiny, Google “CL350” and you’ll find it amongst the coolest of retro Asian bikes).

And, if it all led to the Breakout, then it’s worth it because the youngster really has nailed it on his first time at bat. Based on the Softail platform, the Breakout is back-to-essentials motorcycling. There’s a big wide, 240/40R18 radial out back, some gloss-back flat bars up front and a huge 103-cubic-inch V-twin in between. Black is the main motif (Mr. McGinley says that getting gloss black muffler shields to look right also took hours of trial and error research) with just a few chrome accents for highlights. Harley is nothing if not detail oriented, so while the “Gasser” wheels are painted black, every second spoke has the paint machined away and the underlying aluminum polished. It’s a subtle touch that borders on the picayune but shows the detail that Harley’s designers insist on for even their non-CVO models.

There are other nifty bits. Mr. McGinley’s boss, chief stylist Ray Drea, places much emphasis on the rear fender mounts being classic polished aluminum. But his protégé is most proud of the centre console, which is meant to blend with the handlebar-mounted gauge set to form one sweeping, hot rod-like information centre with the large round speedometer as its centrepiece.

Harley says that the Breakout is designed for “profiling” and, in Milwaukee parlance, that means it’s the American version of the café racer, looking like it’s going to launch from every stoplight like an NHRA dragster. And, indeed, with that fat tire out back, low-speed handling takes a little getting used to, as the Breakout requires a little adjustment after riding something a little more eager for cornering such as the company’s own Fat Bob.

That feeling disappears at speed and then Harley’s latest suspension improvements to the Softail platform are noticeable. Longer suspension travel and slightly softer rates mean there’s less crash, boom, bang over bumps and potholes. Indeed, the Breakout is actually quite comfortable; at least it is if you opt for the accessory mini ape hanger handlebar.

Part of the dragster profile is the aforementioned flat bars (with a stylish constant radius curve Mr. McGinley points out) that will challenge we of weak vertebrae over the long haul. But salvation is as close as Harley’s accessory catalogue, and with the higher handlebar (the stock item on the CVO Breakout) things are much more comfortable for extended rides.

That’s especially true if you dig even deeper into The Motor Company’s accessories stockpile for the Sundowner seat (the thickest padding of any Harley seat) and quick detach touring accessories. Saddlebags, passenger backrest and two different sizes of windshield are available for the Breakout, says Jeff Smith, the company’s products and accessories chief, noting that the screens don’t even need any brackets, so that when removed, there’s no telltale empty bolt holes to mar the Breakout’s clean look.

The Breakout, though it is the premium product in the Softail lineup, is even reasonably priced, its $20,329 now comparing well with the Asian imports (let’s hear a collective cheer for the strong Canadian dollar). If I were wishing for the perfect cruiser, the only things I’d wish for would be even more power than the stock 103-cubic-inch Big Twin and for the aforementioned higher handlebar. Which, not so coincidentally, you can get if you opt for the CVO version of the Breakout.